About Me

My photo
I have a burning need to know stuff and I love asking awkward questions.

Monday, July 16, 2012



Foreign Language Films

My love of the movies has never been completely focused on films made in my own language – despite only speaking English and having the barest smattering of other tongues. From a fairly early age I was watching predominantly French movies with my Dad who introduced me to Jacque Tati and Francois Truffaut. It is no real surprise therefore than my love of French cinema in particular has stayed with me into advanced adulthood. On top of this I have developed a major interest in both Chinese and Japanese cinema prompted initially by being introduced (or re-introduced) to it by my more cultured friend RCA.

Anyway, I have been slowly amassing quite a collection of foreign language films over the years. Many of them I saw at our local multiplex who have never been afraid to use one of their smaller screens to show the odd foreign film. Many times I’ve sat there, sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend (or two) in a largely empty cinema watching a truly great film. Often I will later pick up the movie on DVD and sometimes I’ll pick up the DVD unseen at my local supermarket. Only rarely have I been disappointed with my purchase. Here are the best of my foreign film collection. Some of them I’ve already reviewed and some I will review at a later date.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (France)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (China)
Fearless (China)
He loves me, He loves me not (France)
Seven Samurai (Japan)
Let the Right One In (Sweden)
The Army of Crime (France)
District 13 (France)
22 Bullets (France)
Mesrine – Parts 1 and 2 (France)
Flame and Citron (Denmark)
Max Manus – Man of War (Norway)
Metropolis (Germany)
Hero (China)
A Very Long Engagement (France)
House of Flying Daggers (China)
Seven Swords (China)
L’apartment (France)
Nikita (France)
Troll Hunter (Norway)
Captain Alatriste – The Spanish Musketeer (Spain)
13 Assassins (Japan)
The Motorcycle Diaries (Argentina)

If you get a chance to watch any of the above I’d recommend it. Foreign films have a way of portraying the world in subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) different ways from Anglo-American cinema. Open your mind and start reading at the movies! 

8 comments:

Eli said...

Go find Kontroll - great foreign language film and very foreign.

wstachour said...

I've seen a few of these, but many more not. Some things to add to my list!

VV said...

I have only heard of 4 of these and seen one, "The Motorcycle Diaries." Our local theatre doesn't show foreign films. We'd have to drive almost 3 hours one way to Washington, D.C. to see foreign films, or Netflix them. If you never hear about them, how are you to know what to Netflix? I guess sometimes what would be a goof foreign film to watch based on the description and the star rating system on Netflix, but it's not a perfect system. I will go look up some of these on your list and add them to my queue if they look like something we'd be interested in. Thanks for the list.

VV said...

Okay, I just added most of the list to my Netflix and discovered one already in my queue. Now I have to find time to watch them. :-)

CyberKitten said...

I'd be interested to know what you guys think of any that you do manage to watch. Obviously the list is based on what I like rather than what I think other people would like!

Szabo Gitano said...

Film Movement, a place for great foreign film

dbackdad said...

I love foreign films. Of the ones you've listed, I've seen Crouching Tiger ..., A Very Long Engagement, House of Flying Daggers, Nikita and The Motorcycle Diaries. All of yours I saw, I liked very much.

In general, I like all of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's films. Besides the one you mentioned, Amelie is one of my favorites. City of Lost Children and Delicatessen are both great.

Others foreign films I'd highly recommend are The Sea Inside with Javier Bardem, Life is Beautiful, any of Pedro Almodovar's films, Pan's Labyrinth.

And not for the faint of heart ... Audition.

dbackdad said...

And, duh, the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy of movies (on Netflix Instant). Also on Netflix: Sin Nombre.